A week !

Oh wow what a wonderful week I have had but oh how time has flown by.

Monday I went to Yeovil (not my favourite place in the world) but needs must and I had to buy some new clothes for Tallon for our trip to London. Why do children grow so fast?
Then on the way home I popped into see mum and dad, this is something I promised myself I would do more of this year. My realationship with my parents has been shall we say a little (or a lot) strained over the past 15 years. I wish I could say that I had a wonderful mother daughter realationship but I don't. When I read stories here in blog land about you all going round your mums for coffee or going shopping, crafting together. How your mum has passed her love of crafts on to you I feel a small pang of jealousy. I'm really not sure where I get my love of crafting from but it's not my mum. I have three sisters too and I don't see much of them either. Anyway I digress.

So Tuesday was the big trip to London which was AMAZING. The ballet was beautiful,  I didn't know what to expect as this was my first expirence of a ballet and although I  know the story of Romeo and Juliet I didn't know how easy I would find it to follow without words but the music and dance were so powerful that there was no need for words. I wish I could write in words how it made me feel but I just don't know how to explain it in words, may be there are no words.

I spent Wednesday getting myself organised for the school PTA meeting that night. Back in October at the AGM I put myself forward for Chairperson there wasn't many people there and no one else wanted to do the job. Now I do joke and say oh know what have I got myself into but I think I'm going to enjoy the position really. There are some parts of the job that aren't so good paper work and official stuff like making sure we have the right licences for any events we have. However with this year being the Queens Diamond Jubilee we have started to make some big plans for the last day of term. I'll share more about this when it starts coming together a little bit more.

Thursday and Friday was spent getting ready for the new family member who we collected on Saturday.

Say hello to

DARCY

My baby girl.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Restless

Today I've achieved nothing, well nothing I have anything to show for it. I'm in a right old mess, restless and fidgety the first day of the year that I have felt a little out of control.
Am I mad it sure feels like it. I wish time would just stop or at least slow down for a while so I could  catch my breath.
I can't stay focused on one subject long enough to get it down on paper.My thoughts are jumping around in my mind like little bunnies playing in a field. I've so much I wish to write about, I've been scribbling for hours but none of  it makes sense its all jumbled up. Ballet,crafting, family, decorating I can't get it to all fit together.
I write, I edit and rewrite I want it to be perfect. I'd like people to stay and read and enjoy it so they come back. If only the words would flow like a running water from a tap smoothly and controlled.
I think I will have to leave it for today.

How do you all do it, write your blog post. Do they take days of writing and editing, have you got post all lined up reading to go live or do they just happen you sit there and the words just fill the page without much thought?

I will just leave you with this picture of  The Romeo and Juliet Ballet .

Back at Christmas Tallon's school did a concert and the music teacher mention that she had been able to get a few seats for Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Theatre in London. I asked Tallon if he would like to go, OK so I helped a little in convincing him it would be a great experience. When he said yes I went to his teacher I told her that he would like to go and if she needed a parent helper I could be persuaded to go. She said they were always short of helpers and she would be very grateful if I could spare the time to go with them. I thought about it for a millisecond and said yes. We off on Tuesday and I am very excited about it.

January 2nd 2012

So its here, a wondrous new year, a new beginning, a new chapter in life waiting to be written, cherished memories to be made. Three hundred and sixty five bright mornings and starlit evenings. Fifty two promising weeks, twelve transformative months full of beautiful possibilities and four splendid seasons to enjoy.

Ok so I am being very optimistic and that's not like me at all but I was proved so wrong last year, the year started so bad and yet it just got better and better as the weeks and months past and it ended very well indeed.

The gang arrived home Saturday early afternoon and although I wasn't totally convinced I wanted them back after having such a peaceful, productive and restful few days it really didn't take long before it felt like they hadn't been away, in a good way though. Ok so the fact that the washing basket seemed to be over flowing within five minutes, and there was clutter all over the place once again and it didn't take long before the children were bickering isn't some of the good points about their return but the house was full of chatter and laughter again and I was surprised at how much I really had missed all of them.

I can't remember the last time we went out for New years eve not sure when we last stayed up late enough to actually see the new year in either but this year was very different. We all got into our pyjama's after tea for a cosy night in playing games.  It was so lovely to see them all play so well together and no bad losers. Not sure when it happened but my children have all grown up. We had a game of charades, my Very Hungry Caterpillar went down very well with a vast amount of laughing and watching Flynn act out the Gruffalo was a sight I will never forget he could be destined for the stage. Then we had a game of scabs and guts a very delightful game learning has never been such yucky fun of course they loved this new game Flynn received for Christmas. We also played a couple of card games which bought back memories of my childhood new years eve's with my parents. Then before the children went to bed it was outside for some sparkler fun.

The Gruffalo's knobbly knees

Lily's poker (pontoon) face

Tallon's poker (pontoon) face

Sparkler fun

After a rather lazy start to the new year I prepared a chicken casserole, popped it into the slow cooker and off we set for a new years day walk. We are so lucky to live so close to such a beautiful Estate as Stourhead, the gardens are delightful but there are also lovely woodland walks to enjoy We didn't manage the three or four hours we were hoping as the rain started coming down rather heavily and although we are not normally worried about the rain on this occasion we were quite happy to return to our cosy little home, being welcomed by the smell of a lovely meal being cooked without to much hard work and enjoying the last few hours together relaxing, eating the last few chocolates, and watching the telly.

Happy to be out and about. (taken before the rain)

Happy New Year!

January 1st 2012

Happiness depends upon your outlook on life.

Attitude is just as important as ability.

Passion find yours this year!

Positive thoughts make everything easier.

You are unique, with special gifts, use them

New beginnings with a new year.

Enthusiasm a true secret of success

Wishes may they turn into goals

Years go by to quickly, enjoy them.

Energy may you have lots of it

Apperciate life don't take it for granted

Relax take time to smell the flowers this year.

A good friend of mine sent me a card wishing me a happy New Year and this little poem was inside I wanted to share it with you all. It just sums up how I feel about this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL

X

A Fresh Start

December 28th 2011

                                                              My New Journal                        

It is very quiet in my home at present as the children are spending some time with their dad this week. I am very grateful for a little peace and quiet and time to catch my breath after such a busy and eventful festive season. I am using this time to reflect on last year and to prepare myself for the fresh New Year which is waiting quietly around the corner.

This year’s journal sitting on the table in front of me, I pick it up and there on the first page written in my best handwriting are my plans and dreams for the coming year, the next few pages filled with dread, sadness and unhappy times. I remember now thinking life was never going to be good or happy again but what a difference a year makes. I read on and as the weeks and months pass life does get easier and there are many pages filled with laughter and good time once again 

                                          Many of my goals reached, some I’m still working on and others completely forgotten about. Dreams that still wait in the wings but others that have come true. Aspirations within my grasp as long as I keep stretching for them. I’m not discouraged about the ones that I did not achieve because I have learnt that it is the reaching for them that is important.

Also on the table is my lovely new journal with its crisp, clean pages waiting to be filled with new plans, dreams and tales of adventure and excitement. I am eager about the start of the New Year I know it is going to be another great year I can feel it in my bones, plus I have spent the last six months building new, stronger foundations and what is the point of walls if you haven’t got a good foundation to build them on.                                                                    

        This year I am taking a leap of faith and beginning this wondrous New Year believing. Believing in myself.

New Week, New Season

I've really enjoyed this summer for so many reasons but my favourite has to be spending long days in the garden, drinking tea and knitting.

However when I woke up this morning it felt very much like autumn had arrived it was decidedly much colder than it has felt other mornings.

Nevertheless this does not make me unhappy,

because autumn to me is a wonderful beautiful serene time of year.

 I love the exquisite rustic colours of browns, golden yellows, rich reds and greens.

The way the light reflects majestically through the trees and on the water.

The soothing not burning sun and the cool breeze.

I feel alive and free.

I look forward to those crisp clear mornings and glorious warm afternoons.

Taking long walks in the woods, then coming home to a slow cooked casserole.

Toasted marshmallows and hot chocolate.

Cosy evenings cuddled up of the sofa with my muched loved throw and favourite Jane Austen novel.

It's this time of year that I wind down in preparation for the winter hibernation.

Perhaps a time to reflect on what has happened during the year.

Being that this was the first day that truly seemed to embody autumn I decided to take myself and my camera for a drive to Stourhead gardens.

If you ever wanted to see autumn colours at their best this would be the place to go.

However it seems I am a little early this year and the gardens were not quite at their most spectacular yet.

Here's just a few of the photo's I took this afternoon.

I'll pop back again in a week or so and see how much the garden changes.

Six months

Wow I can't believe it.

We have been living in our new home now for a little over six months.

 And the best part of that has been happy.

Yes there has been some up's and down's.

The main down part being that I've lost a couple of friendships on the way one of which was very special.

 I have made some new friends however I have become very fond of my own company so feel I do not need the same sort of friendships as I have had in the past.

My realationship with the childrens dad is still as up and down as always.

But all in all I am very happy.

Maybe a little needy at times still,

a little lonely at times.

I'm certainly not so hard on myself any more, it's ok to have bad days where I do nothing but watch

re- run's of  The House of Elliot. Yes this has become a firm favorite of mine.

Much to the surprise of myself and probably others too, I am nowhere near as bothered about house work or matching curtains and cushions as I was.

The house is still tidy but just not all the time.

The children are so happy in their new schools and are doing so well.

Both Lily and Flynn got the class room medal last week for there achievements that week.

I think this is a great idea one child from each class gets picked each week for achieving a certain goal or doing something above and beyond their normal level.

They are both in the school drama club and are looking forward to doing a Halloween performance.

Lily is in the school Glee club and is of to represent the school at a golf tournament this week.

As the children are so happy and are doing so well I wanted to show my appreciation to the school so I have joined the PTA, which I must say is a lot friendlier than other PTA's I have been on in the past.

I also volunteer two afternoon's a week and help with the children's reading.

This is Tallon my eldest.

Boy am I proud of him.

He's grown up so much since he went to big school (this is what the younger two call it).

King Arthur's.

This is a lad who just could never be bothered.

He comes in every night from school and right away gets his homework out and gets it done.

He not only does his homework but goes above and beyond to impress his teachers.

This little fellow is Tallon's first attempt with air drying clay.

It was his first art homework,  they can do anything they want for homework it just has to show off their artist talent's.

His teacher was so impressed with his efforts that he got a E Star (highest grade you can get apparently)

and it is now being displayed outside the deputy's office.

Tallon has also joined the Greenpower club amongst other's http://www.greenpower.co.uk/.

This is King Arthur's car KAIII.

 The team got through to the final and are racing at Goodwood next weekend. Hopefully the weather is good as we are planning on going up to watch.

Tallon went with the team for the first time a couple of weekends ago to Castle Coombe.

He had a fantastic day in the pits, he's not allowed to drive the car this season. So he can't wait for next year when he'll have he's turn at driving.

So there you go just a little catch up.

Have a great week x